


A Constellation of Tears on Your Lashes

by 221b_hound



Series: Guitar Man [74]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Nightmares, Parentlock, Sherlock Needs A Hug, Singing, opera lyrics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-13
Updated: 2014-03-13
Packaged: 2018-01-15 13:49:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1307092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/221b_hound/pseuds/221b_hound
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even when the nightmares are rare, there's no telling when they'll come. Sherlock has an excellent day with Ford and John, but that's no guarantee he won't wake up screaming.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> This story is in two parts, both 221b ficlets.
> 
> The song title is from Fall Out Boy's My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark.

As The Year in Hell falls further away, Sherlock has fewer nightmares, just as John’s have subsided: but never gone. It annoys him that he cannot predict when he’ll have them, or how bad they’ll be. Some terrible days, when they have skated close to disaster, the ensuing sleep is dreamlessly deep. Other nights, he lurches awake, panicked heart crashing in his chest. It’s heartbreaking moments before he remembers that nothing precious to him is lost.

Sherlock and John spend this day with Ford at the museum, looking at the dinosaurs. Ford, seven, loves dinosaurs. Sherlock is bored by dinosaurs, but loves skeletons, and John knows the names of all the bones. Ford teaches them about dinosaur taxonomy, paleobiogeography and theories pertaining to bird-hipped species. Then he and Sherlock exercise practical theories on dinosaur roars and are asked to leave, which John finds hilarious, until he is told to join them. (He’s still sensitive about that ASBO.)

Next, Ford leads them on a merry hide-and-seek in the park. They find him on his belly, investigating insect life in the mulch of the rose garden. After, there’s ice-cream.

Sherlock doesn’t mean to nod off on the sofa, full of ice-cream and happiness, but he wakes shouting and crying, heart-blasted, arms grasping for his boy, who in his dream was bloody and broken.


	2. Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The nightmare breaks his heart; that he frightened his boy breaks it further - but Ford is no stranger to his parents' bad dreams and he knows what to do.

_"Ford!"_  Sherlock’s cry is heart-rending.

From nowhere, John pulls Sherlock into an embrace. “Ford’s fine. He’s here. It’s all right. Shh.” His arms curl around Sherlock’s shoulders, one hand is buried in Sherlock’s hair, soothing against his scalp. “Ford is just fine. You’re home. You’re safe. We’re all safe.”

Sherlock sob-moans. He hides his scrunched face against John’s chest, against the one person he trusts with his rare tears. His hands clench in John’s shirt as he grounds himself in that steady heartbeat.

“Sherlock?” says a small, worried voice.

Sherlock lurches up, arms outstretched, and he sees Ford, frightened eyes wide. The relief of seeing him, unbloodied and whole, is crushed under that look.

“Ford.” His voice shakes as he withdraws. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“Did you have a bad dream?” asks Ford.

“Yes.” A whisper.

“Mummy has bad dreams, sometimes. She cries too, and wants to hug me. Do you want a hug?”

Sherlock nods. Ford, no longer frightened, knowing what to do, crawls into Sherlock’s lap and wraps his skinny arms around him.

“Daddy sings to Mummy,” says Ford, snuggling in. He takes a breath and sings in his high, sweet voice: “ _La fleur que tu m’avais jetée..._ ” It’s from the opera, _Carmen_.

Sherlock is held, fore and aft, and once more, he can breathe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Ford sings is the one Mycroft sang to Sally as she lay bleeding in his arms at the end of [Under My Umbrella](http://archiveofourown.org/works/522693/chapters/936071).


End file.
